Bangkok Blogger|Tales from Thailand

Last weekend we made the trip down to Koh Samet which is the closest beach island to Bangkok and is about 200km plus a short boat ride away.  As there was a group of us going we hired a 10 seat minibus to take us on the two and a half hour journey down to the coast.  There are other cheaper ways to get there but as we were in a group this did not work out that much more expensive than getting the bus.  As we were heading down late on a Friday evening we had missed all the ferries that leave from Rayon Banphe so we had to charter a speedboat.  This was easy enough and was quicker than ferry taking about 20 minutes.  The speedboats are a bit more convenient too as they will drop you at the place you are staying at rather than at the main dock like the ferries do.

Most people say you don’t need to book accommodation before you arrive but as we were getting there after dark we decided it would be better to pre-book to save us the hassle of trying to find somewhere at night and as we hadn’t been there before we did not really know where to look.

The island looked amazing as we got closer.  The little beach huts were all subtly lighted and we could just about make out the beach and the sea.

The boat dropped us off on the beach outside the group of bungalow huts we would be staying at and after a short walk up the beach we arrived at the reception to check in.  There are reports that reservations aren’t always honoured if someone turns up before you and wants a room but all the huts we had booked we reserved for us.  We were led to our bungalow which was a modern looking wooden hut on stilts less than a minutes walk from the beach.  Inside the hut was lightly furnished but had a shower and toilet and a nice double bed.  We had opted for an air conditioned room instead of just a fan room.  This was my first time in a beach hut and I was really pleased with the place we had picked.  We weren’t on the beach front like some of the other places to stay on the island but were less than a minute walk to the sand and sea which was fine with me.

In the morning we got to see how beautiful the island really was.  People have told me that Koh Samet isn’t what it used to be and is far too build up but even though we were staying on the east coast which is the busiest part it looked fine to me.  There are hut along the beach but they are back behind the tree line so aren’t too imposing and there are beach bars and restaurants all along the main strip of coast but these are all tastefully done and don’t make a negative impact on the beach.  If you do want a more secluded beach head further south down the east side or head over to the much less populated west side.

The Weather on Koh Samet

Considering it is the rainy season which in Bangkok means it is very hot and humid Koh Samet was a breath of fresh air (literally).  The sun was out the whole time we were there and it wasn’t humid at all.  A few of us got sunburnt so make sure you bring plenty of sun cream. It did rain for about 20 minutes during the night but that was about it.  If you are looking to get away from the heat, humidity and smells of Bangkok Koh Samet is the ideal location.

Eating on Koh Samet

There are loads of places to eat along the eastern stretch of beach.  Most restaurants are attached to some accommodation but you can eat anywhere you chose.  Seafood is big here but there are many other styles available and most places had an extensive western menu if that is your thing.  I recommend the club sandwich from Silver Sands if you are looking for a nice lunch.   There are also people walking up and down the beach selling fruit and some even cook food as they walk on mini barbecues so you could get food without even leaving the beach if you wanted.

Drinking on Koh Samet

All of the places selling food sold alcoholic drinks throughout the day and at night.  We found a really nice, chilled place called the Lamp bar which had put cushions and coffee tables out amongst the rocks so you could sit on the beach at night with a drink looking out to sea.  They have a massive cocktail menu and were playing mellow reggae on the nights we were there.  The liveliest bar on the beach, and to be honest there was only one place playing loud music, was the Silver Sands bar.  The crowd here were mainly Thais from the mainland who had come down for the weekend for a break from Bangkok with their designer mini-dogs.  The bar had a roof but the sides were open air so you could sit on the beach or sit inside and still have a sea view.  There were people on the beach doing amazing fire tricks, spinning around burning sticks and balls of fire.  You can also buy fireworks on the beach which the English people enjoyed shooting at each other.  The bar sold the infamous bucket cocktails but there were smaller than I imagined they would be but were great value costing between 200 baht (£4 ) and 300 baht (£6) depending on what you ordered.  They also had bottled beer on sale.  Although this bar was quite loud there were lots of mellower ones along the beach where you could go for a quiet drink.  Lots of places were showing the football so if you wanted to watch a live Premier League game you could easily do so.

Things to do on Koh Samet

The amazing beach is probably the main attraction on Koh Samet.  It is long, clean and the water is warm and clear.  Where we were staying there was a diving platform out at sea which you could swim out to and sunbathe on or practice your diving from.  There are a couple of other uninhabited islands near by and you can take a boat cruise over to them to explore and go snorkelling.  You can also go diving from Koh Samet with one of the diving centres on the island.    To get around the island you can hire a moped or a quad bike or get in one of the open back pickup truck taxis that travel around the island.  There is a medical centre on the island should your motor biking skills not be up to scratch.  Jet skis can be hired and windsurfing is also available as well as kayaks and banana boats.

I don’t know how Koh Samet compares to the other Thai islands but I really enjoyed it there and will definitely be going back.  Once you are on the beach it is hard to remember you are only a few hours away from Bangkok.  A weekend was a perfect amount of time to spend here but if you are looking for a quiet week then Koh Samet would also be a perfect destination.  If you are looking to full on party it’s probably not the ideal place but for everyone else I highly recommend it.  Although do bring some mosquito repellent as a few of us got bitten when out at night.